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The wrestling legend is suing gossip website Gawker for $100M over posting showing him having sex with his best friend’s wife.

Terry Bollea, known as professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, testifies in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Monday. (Boyzell Hosey / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Terry Bollea, known as professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, testifies in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Monday. (POOL / REUTERS)

By Tamara LushThe Associated Press

Tues., March 8, 2016

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Here’s what we learned by the end of the first day of a sex video trial that pits pro wrestler Hulk Hogan against gossip site Gawker:

•The 62-year-old Hogan said he was “humiliated” when the video of him having sex with his then-best friend’s wife was released, and that his arms were “violently shaking” from the news.

•Hogan felt pressured to have sex with Heather Clem, because both she and her husband, shock jock Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, “badgered” him about it. He said he finally gave in because he was at a low point when his marriage to his first wife was on the rocks.

•Hogan said he didn’t know Bubba Clem had a video camera in his bedroom, but in media interviews when the video first surfaced, Hogan said that before he had sex with Heather Clem, he asked Bubba if he was filming.

As testimony in Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker Media grew extremely explicit Tuesday, an attorney offered evidence that Hogan has publicly discussed sex and other intimate details about his life over the course of many years.

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The testimony included detailed references to Hogan’s sex life and sexual parts. In one audio clip from the Bubba The Love Sponge Show, the DJ and Hogan discussed the length of Hogan’s penis.

Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, said that he did these interviews and media spots in the persona of his Hulk Hogan character, and not as he is in real life.

The morning testimony elicited Hogan’s take on his famous public image versus his private life — at times, a discourse on celebrity culture and identity.

Attorney Michael Sullivan asked Hogan if he was embarrassed by some of the media appearances, pointing to a clip on the “Hogan Knows Best” reality show. In that snippet shown for the jury, Hogan sat on the toilet, his pants around his ankles, talking to his then-wife on the phone.

Hogan said no, he wasn’t embarrassed.

“It’s part of the show, it’s part of the good and bad of being an entertainer.”

Hogan also said he didn’t have a problem with news outlets discussing or even writing about the sex tape.

It was only when Gawker broadcast an edited clip of the actual video that he said he began to suffer.

“I never had a problem with the article. My problem is the videotape. It’s on the Internet. It lives forever,” Hogan said.

He also acknowledged he has little privacy as Hulk Hogan, with people taking photos of him everywhere, including once in a urinal at a baseball game.

Although the trial has been chock-full of salacious details — an attorney on Monday also mentioned Hogan’s “thong-shaped tan line” that was visible in the video — it’s also a serious First Amendment case. The core issue: Did Gawker have the right to post one minute and forty one seconds of the sex tape, approximately nine seconds of it actual sexual content?

Hogan and his lawyers say no, that Gawker invaded his privacy. He’s suing for $100 million, saying the posting of the video caused him severe emotional distress. If Gawker loses, the scrappy media empire could be in serious financial trouble.

Gawker says the publication was a legitimate scoop because Hogan had talked openly about his sex life before, in forums such as Howard Stern’s radio show. The jury may have to grapple with questions about how celebrity affects expectations of privacy. Nothing less than the First Amendment is at stake here, Denton and Gawker’s lawyers say.

The lawyer for the New York-based website says Gawker has a right to address uncomfortable subjects, reject spin by celebrities and tell the truth.

Gawker’s reporter, A.J. Daulerio, posted the video to accompany a story about how celebrity sex tapes fascinate the public — while being lacklustre.

Berry said Gawker didn’t make money off the post. Advertisers don’t post ads on Gawker’s items that are labelled “NSFW,” or “not safe for work.”

Berry also said news of the tape, including screen shots, was on other gossip sites before Gawker published the video.

He added that Gawker founder Denton “wants people to know the truth. The simple unvarnished truth.”

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

Hogan attained pro wrestling stardom in the 1980s and 1990s, winning multiple championships. He also became a celebrity outside his Hulkamania fan base, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, Hogan Knows Best.

At times during the trial, Hogan’s testimony seemed like he was schooling the jury on wrestling history, telling them of being poor, sleeping in his car while performing in small-town matches across the South, and finally getting his break when he was asked to appear in the Rocky III movie.

During cross-examination, an attorney for Gawker questioned Hogan about inconsistencies in his testimony and media interviews. Hogan testified that he didn’t watch the video when he discovered its existence; during a media interview he said he did. And Hogan said he didn’t know he was being videoed when he had sex with Heather Clem. But in media interviews in 2012, Hogan said he asked Bubba Clem if he was being filmed.

Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, chalked up the inconsistencies to being shell-shocked by the tape and because he routinely put himself in his wrestling character.

“I was probably in the Hulk Hogan mode,” Hogan said. “It gives you artistic ability, to be a character.”

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